Abstract
Odor and color are powerful elicitors of subjective emotion, yet it is not clear whether emotions elicited by odor are influenced by color. The present study examined the influence of color on the affective ratings of odors from essential oils: lemon, lavender, and sandalwood. Two preliminary tests using the same mood scale (Multiple Mood Scale: MMS) to odors and colors revealed that there were affectively congruent (and incongruent) pairs of colors and odors. Thus, affectively congruent and incongruent colors were determined for the three odors based on these preliminary tests. In the Experiment, 19 participants rated their affective impression of odors under two conditions; the odors were primed by congruent colors and by incongruent colors. The results showed that the affective ratings of odor differed between congruent and incongruent color conditions. The ratings changed toward the color's affective properties that were found in a preliminary test. These findings suggest that the emotions elicited by an odor are influenced by the affective properties of a primed color.
